The present invention relates generally to power generators and pulse generators, and more specifically the invention pertains to a multiwinding spiral generator which is capable of delivering any predetermined amount of energy at any predetermined voltage.
One of the most common uses of high voltage capacitive energy storage is in pulse power conditioning. A capacitive energy storage pulse power conditioner consists of a power source, a means of charging a pulse forming line (PFL) or network (PFN) to a high voltage, a means of switching the charged pulse forming line or network into the load. The power source is a d.c. power supply typically on the order of 10,000 volts. The means of charging the PFL or PFN is a primary storage capacitor, a primary switch and a step-up transformer. The PFL or PFN is a capacitive energy store. In the case of a PFL the device is simply a transmission line of coaxial, parallel plate or other geometry which is a distributed parameter configuration. In the case of a PFN the device is configured from lumped parameter capacitive and inductive elements. There are numerous configurations including the famous Guillemin canonical forms as well as numerous other configurations. The common characteristic among all capacitive energy storage PFN's is the axiomatic fact that the energy is stored initially in the capacitive elements. The sequence of operation consists of the d.c. power supply charging the primary energy store; the primary energy store is then switched into the step-up transformer which transforms the primary energy to high voltage and stores it in the PFL/PFN. The next step is to close the output switch which connects the PFL/PFN to the load. The energy in the PFL/PFN is then delivered to the load in the form of a high voltage pulse. The characteristics of the pulse are determined by the PFL/PFN and the load.
The simple conventional spiral generator consists of a parallel plate transmission line, which has been rolled into a spiral with the inclusion of an additional strip of insulation thereby forming a pair of transmission lines, one is the active line and the other is the passive line. Thus a spiral is a capacitor which can rearrange itself upon command to a high voltage configuration. It is obvious that if one were able to configure practical spirals, given voltage and energy requirements, then they could be used in PFN's and other pulse power applications to advantage. The subject of this disclosure, the multiwinding spiral, can accomplish this objective. The advantage being that the high-voltage charging means could be eliminated because it is built into the spiral design.
The task of providing a compact and efficient means of processing large amounts of capacitive energy at high voltage for pulse power applications, is alleviated to some extent, by the systems described in the following U.S. Patents, the disclosures of which are incorporated herein by reference.
U.S. Pat. No. 5,118,969 issued to Ikezi et al;
U.S. Pat. No. 4,996,495 issued to Birx;
U.S. Pat. No. 4,818,892 issued to Oohashi et al; and
U.S. Pat. No. 4,803,378 issued to Richardson.
These references disclose different, pulse generation systems which have the limitations described above. None of the cited patents disclose a multiwinding spiral generator which is capable of delivering any predetermined amount of energy at any predetermined voltage. Also, none of the cited patents disclose combining three components into a multiple spiral, thereby functioning as the primary low voltage energy store, the voltage step-up means, and the high voltage energy store.